My Great Pyrenees And Me
by daky
Summary: Chiyo-chan, who studies abroad, has grown up, while her dog, Tadakichi-san, has grown old. As he turns 14, Tadakichi reminisces of the old times back in Japan. But why does Chiyo-chan give him sad looks every now and then?


(Just a short drama fanfic I wrote in one go. If you ask about the next chapter of Danville Sexcapades, please have some more patience! I didn't forget about that project.)

Tadakichi-san turned 14. Translated to dog years, it was more than 90. When someone reaches that age, it's always something that should be respected. Also, those who live to be that old deserve to spent the rest of their lives peacefully and undisturbed. That's what Tadakichi was planning to do. But, sometimes things in life don't happen the way we planned.

Chiyo-chan also grew up. After she moved to America to study, her faithful Great Pyrenees came with her. Tadakichi-san knew Chiyo all her life. Ever since she was a little girl, he was always by her side.

It was a lazy summer afternoon. Tadakichi was laying on the balcony. He was daydreaming about past times. He was remembering Chiyo's old home in Japan, as well as Chiyo's school friends coming for a visit. And how could he not remember Sakaki? She was so friendly and always wishing to pet him. No wonder, after all those times she's got bitten by stray cats, she stumbled upon Tadakichi who was always in the mood for a good pet.

Tadakichi wanted to change his position, but his limbs hurt. He couldn't get up as easily as he used to.  
"I used to go places where nobody had ever expected I'll go", he was thinking. "Man, those were some times!"

The past years kept running through Tadakichi's mind. He and Chiyo used to go for a walk every evening back in Japan. Later, when Chiyo became closer with Sakaki, she would often join them. Sometimes Chiyo would even ride him. Happy times.

Of course, he didn't forget the other girls either. Tomo, Yomi, Osaka... He had places in his heart for all of them.

But now Chiyo doesn't take him for a walk every evening anymore. "Why?", Tadakichi was wondering. "Is she too busy with her studying? Is it because of my age? So what if I grew old? That doesn't mean I'm too old for going out every evening!"

He kept reminiscing about their long evening walks in Japan. While they would stroll down suburban Tokyo, other dogs, especially females, would often turn their heads to look at them. Most of the time, Tadakichi acted like he didn't notice anything.  
"Chiyo is such a cute little girl", he was thinking back then. "And such a cute little girl needs a cute dog as myself. She deserves it."

While stretching on the balcony, he would occasionally take a look toward Chiyo, who was talking to her parents in the other room. They were talking pretty quietly. Of course, Tadakichi couldn't understand them, but he did notice that they were turning their heads towards him from time to time, especially Chiyo, and looking at him with somewhat sad eyes.  
"What's with her look?" Tadakichi was wondering. "She seems a bit depressed. I don't know what's gotten into her. Come to think of it, she did change a bit ever since she moved here. Not only she got psychically bigger, but she also doesn't act the way she used to. She's not that cheerful anymore. I've already forgotten when did she sing last time, or when did she take me for a really long walk. It's like she doesn't want to spend that much time with me anymore."

Tadakichi felt some sadness in his heart. Then Chiyo turned her head to him again and he noticed a tear in her eye. That only got him sadder.  
"Could it be that she's mad at me?" Tadakichi kept thinking. "Let's see, did I do anything bad recently? Hmm... as far as I remember, no. Everything's fine. So what could possibly be the problem?"

He started reexamining his recent behavior. He realized that he has been doing some strange things he was never doing before. For example, he would go out in the yard, wandering among flowers, then he would suddenly stop and wonder what is he doing there and where was he headed.

Or, he would simply lie down to take a short nap, but instead of that, he would sleep the day away.

Or, he used to get indoors instantly whenever it starts to rain. But recently, he was laying in the garden when the rain started, and he just kept laying, wondering what was he supposed to be doing when during rain.

While Tadakichi was still thinking about his recent behavior, he got startled by Chiyo's voice:  
"Tadakichi-san, shall we go for a walk?"

He didn't know exact meaning of those words, but he knew they meant that he and Chiyo will go out, usually to the park. He got up, not as fast and easy as he used to, but he was excited nonetheless.

"Let's go for a ride", Chiyo said, not even looking at Tadakichi.

The dog wagged his tail as he was always doing, then he moved toward the hall stand where his leash was. He knew they'll be needing it. But this time, Chiyo just said:  
"We don't need a leash."

When he got out of the house, Tadakichi saw Chiyo's dad preparing the car. That meant they'll go for a long walk, usually outside of town. He got happy because he loved those long walks. He entered the car along with Chiyo and they drove away.

It really was a long ride. Tadakichi had the feeling he's never seen the streets that he was seeing now.  
"I guess we'll go for a walk somewhere we've never been before", he thought. "That's so neat!" The old dog wagged his tail some more, out of excitement.

Finally, the car stopped. They weren't exactly out of town, but they were somewhere far away from their home. That was good enough for Tadakichi. He got additionally cheerful when he smelled some meat in that street.

Chiyo opened the car door.  
"Come on, Tadakichi-san, get out to stretch", she said, but her voice wasn't completely normal; it was rather crackling and plaintive.  
Tadakichi got out of the car. He heard the door slamming, just like every time before in such situations. Now he expected Chiyo to come and walk beside him. He waited for a few seconds, but that didn't happen. Instead, he heard tires screeching. He turned around and he saw Chiyo's dad's car driving away. What's more weird, there was no Chiyo around to walk with him.

Tadakichi was confused. He couldn't figure out what was going on. He was looking around, but Chiyo was nowhere to be seen. He just saw a well-known car slowly disappearing down the street.

After some time, he lied on the ground, put his head on his front paws and decided to simply wait.  
"Chiyo-chan will be back", he thought. "We spent our whole lives in peace and happiness. I'm sure she'll be back!"

Time was passing. A man from the local butchery came and brought him a peace of steak, but Tadakichi didn't want to taste it. He was taught to receive food from Chiyo and her family only.

Tadakichi was waiting the whole afternoon. The night came. Then the new day after that. Tadakichi didn't even move.

Another day had passed. And another night. And Tadakichi kept waiting. He was waiting for Chiyo to come back.

"But what if she doesn't come back? Ever?!" he thought.  
He shook his head, while everything was foggy in it. He was simply refusing to believe in such a thing.

END


End file.
